


You and I

by FaileGaidin



Category: Law & Order
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 02:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4330344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaileGaidin/pseuds/FaileGaidin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes life brings you right where you belong. Sometimes it brings you back to the one that got away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You and I

The doorbell rang and Mike set two wine glasses down on the table. Looking over the setup on his back porch, he took a deep breath and straightened his tie one last time. This wasn’t the first time he’d had Elizabeth Olivet over for dinner, but still he had butterflies in his stomach. 

He had only run into her by chance, outside of the precinct. It had been almost ten years since he’d last seen her, but the years had treated her well. He found himself staring at her, drinking her in, even as they went through the usual awkward niceties that former lovers dance through when they encounter each other once again. He had surprised himself when he invited her over for dinner the next night. He’d been floored when she had given him an easy laugh and agreed.

Now he found himself pausing one more time before opening the door, taking one more deep breath. 

“Hey, Liz,” he greeted with a smile.

Mike still couldn’t believe how gorgeous she was. She wore a short green dress that was perfect for the summertime heat, and her hair - which had grown so much - danced around her shoulders.

“Hi, Mike.”

“Come on in.”

She stepped past him into the house and paused to look around. “This is really nice. I never thought I’d see the day when you bought a house.”

Mike shrugged. “I guess we all grow up eventually.”

“Indeed.” Liz reached out and touched his tie, smiling at him. “You look good, Mike.”

“So do you.”

He could have stood there and stared at her forever. He could have dragged her into his arms and let her know everything he’d felt over the years. He could have done a lot of things. Instead, he reined himself in and nodded toward the kitchen. “Dinner’s waiting.”

Her smile widened as she withdrew her hand. “Lead on.”

Five minutes later, they were sitting down at the table on his porch, looking out over his small yard. A previous girlfriend had strung up lights above the porch to give it a certain atmosphere, and Logan had never gotten around to taking them down. He was thankful for them now, drinking in the way Liz’s skin glowed in the light. 

They talked about everything but their own shared past. Logan told her about joining Major Crimes and Liz filled him in on what private practice was like. She shared that she had started taking yoga and dancing classes; Mike confessed that he had started playing his guitar again. 

It was the most enjoyable dinner he’d had in years.

Once the food was finished and the dirty dishes taken care of, they stood back on the porch, each with a refilled glass of wine. They were still talking about their lives, catching up on the years they hadn’t shared, but Mike was having a harder time paying attention to Liz’s words. He knew that he was staring again; he just couldn’t stop.

“Mike?” Liz reached out and laid a gentle hand on the side of his face. “Are you still with me?”

Logan nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m here.”

He leaned in and kissed her softly. 

He wasn’t sure what reaction he was expecting, but his heart jumped when Liz’s hand slid up into his hair and took a strong hold. He let out a small moan when she pressed her body up against his, and then a second, louder sound forced its way out of him when he backed her up against the porch railing and he heard her glass of wine land in the shrubs below. 

For just a moment, Mike wondered at his body’s muscle memory. It was like they had only done this yesterday and they remembered exactly how to fit together. It didn’t make sense, and his mind struggled with it. But then Liz was pushing him back into the house and he didn’t care about anything.

*******************************************************

The next morning Mike stood in the kitchen, hands braced on the counter edge as he stared at the eggs and bread he had pulled out of the fridge. 

“You look like you’re thinking too hard for this early in the morning,” a soft voice quipped from the doorway.

He looked up to see Liz standing there wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts. It was enough to make his mouth go dry and his heart rate to pick up.

“I wanted to make you breakfast,” he said quietly.

“And?”

He looked back down at the eggs. “The last time I made you breakfast, you ran for the hills.”

Her smile faded as she nodded, pushing away from the doorframe. Her hands drifted to his hips and she turned him to face her, though she kept her eyes locked on his chest.

“That morning…Mike, we both agreed that it was casual. And that worked for me - it really did. It probably sounds ridiculous to you, but…after you made me breakfast…I knew that if I didn’t make my escape then, I was going to fall head over heels in love with you.”

She felt him tense underneath her hands. “And would that really have been the worst thing?”

Liz shook her head. “You would have broken my heart,” she whispered.

He was quiet for a moment taking that in. Her words hurt more than he was expecting, and the surprise only deepened the wound. 

“Wow. Good to know what you really think of me.”

Her hands tangled in his shirt as she tightened her grip. Her eyes met his. “Look at me and tell me that I was wrong, Mike.”

Logan opened his mouth, but the words died somewhere in his chest. He wished he could argue with her. He wished he could blame her for running. A small voice in the back of his head told him that the younger version of himself, though, would have done exactly what Liz had been afraid of. That younger version would be taking offense at that moment, too, pushing away a woman that he never wanted to let go of again. Ten years, though. It felt like a lifetime. 

Mike raised his hands to cradle her face, making sure that his eyes never left hers. “And now?” he asked, his voice quiet even in the stillness of the house.

A smile tugged at her lips and Liz raised herself up on her tiptoes, bringing her lips just centimeters from his own. He could feel the breath that separated them.

“I like my eggs over easy,” she whispered.


End file.
